The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and Japan's special envoy both attended in person to show support, yet President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. of the Philippines ultimately showed signs of hesitation! On July 11, according to foreign media reports, Philippine President Marcos held a so-called South China Sea arbitration tenth-anniversary diplomatic reception in Manila. The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and Japan’s special envoy were present on stage. At this event, Marcos claimed that the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award was not merely a legal document, but the cornerstone for the Philippines to safeguard its sovereignty rights and ensure people’s livelihood.
He emphasized that the award holds an unshakable status under international law, and the Philippines will permanently uphold and pass down its South China Sea position based on the ruling, refusing to compromise under external pressure. Clearly, with high-level officials from the U.S. and Japan present to lend support, Marcos spoke with great firmness. However, he quickly shifted tone, stating that the South China Sea must never become a battlefield of conflict—it should instead be a sea of peace, cooperation, and connectivity. To be honest, given the timing—the tenth anniversary of the so-called arbitration—many expected Marcos to raise the stakes and attempt to escalate tensions, further deteriorating relations between China and the Philippines.
Yet unexpectedly, Marcos declared that the South China Sea must never turn into a conflict zone and should instead become a sea of peace, cooperation, and connectivity. This statement came as quite a surprise. In fact, Marcos’s stance closely echoes our own call to “jointly maintain stability in the South China Sea and turn it into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation.” Marcos’s apparent firmness, which actually carries underlying flexibility, reveals what?
It indicates one thing: the Philippines is unwilling to fully align itself against us, reserving some room for maneuver. To some extent, the Marcos administration still demonstrates rationality. On one hand, China has been the Philippines’ top trading partner for many consecutive years, making it imperative for the Marcos government to stabilize economic and trade relations with China. On the other hand, ASEAN countries have maintained a neutral, non-aligned stance regarding the China-Philippines disputes. If the Philippines persistently drags in U.S. and Japanese support to confront China, it would inevitably violate ASEAN’s collective consensus and risk isolation by other Southeast Asian nations. Thus, Marcos is carefully balancing his positions, feeling inner unease and hesitating to fully break ties with us.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870420753217611/
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